Tinnitus is the sensation of a sound in the ear or head that is not being produced by an external source. Approximately 12 million hearing and hearing-impaired individuals in the United States suffer from some form of tinnitus. More than two-million Americans are debilitated with tinnitus to the point where it affects their daily functions, including job performance, and personal relationships. Furthermore, the prevalence of tinnitus increases with age, and the demand for tinnitus treatment will significantly increase over the next thirty years.
Hyperacusis, on the other hand, may be defined as a reduced tolerance to normal environmental sounds. Hyperacusis sufferers range from someone mildly uncomfortable in a normal social setting to someone profoundly discomforted by many of the sounds encountered in daily life. Individuals with initially reduced loudness discomfort levels (LDLs) generally exhibit a reduced dynamic range, which is the intensity range over which we hear sound, from the softest sound perceptible to the loudest sound tolerable. The reduced dynamic range usually manifests in a reduced tolerance to more intense sounds, even those that would be considered moderately soft to normal listeners.
Many individuals who suffer from tinnitus and/or hyperacusis may also suffer from some form of hearing loss.
It would be advantageous to have new apparatus, systems and methods for treating and/or relieving the symptoms of tinnitus, hyperacusis, and/or hearing loss. It would also be advantageous to have new apparatus, system and methods for treating, and/or relieving the symptoms of tinnitus, hyperacusis, and/or hearing loss and that also treat hearing loss.